Readers' letters | Pensions, health care reform, NRA, Cards

Lawmaker pensions

Interested in how much a legislator earns for part-time work in Frankfort? No problem! You can find out through the Kentucky Open Records Act. Do you want to know how much of your hard-earned money was spent in a specific school district? Would you like to see an itemized check register? Again, no problem! Just do an open records request.

You may even want to take a look at the travel expenses for specific departments in Frankfort. Good news! You can access that information, too. But let's say you want to find out how much your part-time legislator is raking in through Kentucky's public pension system. Good luck. Apparently the Kentucky General Assembly doesn't deem you worthy of that information. It seems odd that taxpayers can access just about every sort of public spending information imaginable except for that related to public pensions.

Why is this the case? Transparency is the first step toward accountability. As of today, Kentucky taxpayers have no way of holding their government accountable for the $34 billion unfunded liability that is sinking the state. If Kentucky's legislators truly want to represent the people of their state, they will waste no time in opening the books on the Kentucky Retirement System and making those pensions transparent.

LOGAN MORFORD

Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions

Lexington, Ky. 40504

Mean-spirited?

It would seem that tea-party activist David Adams has not done his homework as it relates to the Affordable Care Act. He states that "half the states in the nation have already defeated Obamacare; people don't realize how close we are to doing the same thing here in Kentucky." Either he is just trying to boost the numbers at his rally in Frankfort and is intentionally being obtuse; or he really does not understand that the Affordable Care Act is the law of the land.

States that do not implement the law will have the federal government do it for them. How mean-spirited do you have to be to want to deny health insurance coverage to your fellow citizens in need?

JEAN MARIE SMITH

Goshen, Ky. 40026

Pension problems

Thanks to Kelly Downard, Louisville Metro Council member for District 16, for his excellent letter in Sunday's Courier-Journal concerning problems with the Kentucky state employee pension system. Kelly presents solutions to the pension problem that include a gradually increased retirement age for state employees and increased contributions by state employees to their future pension costs.

If not reformed, pensions will take up a greater and greater share of the state's revenue, crowding out needed spending for schools, roads and other important state functions. I hope all 138 members of the General Assembly have a chance to read Councilman Downard's letter.

NICK SIMON

Louisville 40220

NRA wrong

Wayne LaPierre is wrong: It doesn't take a good man with a gun to stop a bad man with a gun. It takes competent men and women who know what they're doing, combined with avoidance of factors which contribute to violence. Whether or not they're armed is largely irrelevant.

We have had security guards in Louisville high schools for years. Its good to have them there. They perform a useful function. To expect any of them to stop an emotionally disturbed aggressor bent on murder and equipped with military-grade arms and armor is unrealistic. It presupposes that an alert, properly trained, adequately equipped guard will be in exactly the right place at exactly the right moment and that he or she will be fully prepared both emotionally and physically to instantaneously face such an individual with lethal force. None of those presuppositions is likely.

Such a confrontation would most probably result in the immediate death of the guard or, at best, a running firefight that would endanger our children even more. We have a choice. Transform the United States into a police state - the direction Mr. LaPierre would take us - or take common sense precautions, including basic firearms regulation.

MARK L. HUMPHREY

Louisville 40220

Congratulations, Cards

Congratulations again to Charlie Strong and the University of Louisville football Cardinals! You guys went to New Orleans and instead of running your mouths, let your play do the talking. You kept your composure and showed the country what a class football team looks like. I'm sure we'll see more accolades for Charlie, Teddy, and the team. But I want to make sure the assistant coaches aren't left out. Without their hard work, this season doesn't happen. A special shout-out to Vance Bedford (defensive coordinator) and Shawn Watson (offensive coordinator). It's time to show these guys some love. We need to make sure these guys stay at home, Are you listening, Tom Jurich?

LEO NATHANSON

Louisville 40241

Louisville, Kentucky • Southern Indiana

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Readers' letters | Pensions, health care reform, NRA, Cards

Interested in how much a legislator earns for part-time work in Frankfort? No problem! You can find out through the Kentucky Open Records Act.